Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Stunt Sheep (Part 3)

We took our time getting pictures, then began the chore of caping & quartering on a steep hillside of sand & loose rocks. After packing up, I was coldly introduced to the fact that the only thing worse than climbing a mountain, is trying to descend one with a heavy pack when you're exhausted and ravenously hungry.










When we reached the bottom of the hill, we found confirmation that we were, indeed, in sheep country.





We thanked the mountain for surrendering its Monarch, and collapsed in camp.

Carl found an excellent cutting board, & prepped some hours-old backstrap.





We found it to be exquisite with salt & pepper, or when coupled with Mountain House Buffalo Chicken Wrap meat.







Waking up on Day 4 brought the realization that I had shot this [ram whose parents were never married] about as far up the valley as possible, so the pack-out was going to be grueling.




[img]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd77/jkubesch/P8250076.jpg[/img]



We were able to cross the river a little more easily at the headwaters - we didn't have to pretend we were Drew Brees with our gear this time. But yes, there were still rocks on this side of the river.



[img]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd77/jkubesch/P8230074.jpg[/img]




It took until after lunctime on Day 5, but we got him back to the flyout site. Then we switched to bear hunting mode. And this guy indulged us with his presence.


[img]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd77/jkubesch/P8270085.jpg[/img]


Having gone 0-for-2 on black bear tags in the past, I was due. The 7x57 proved to be a 1-shot black bear cartridge. He moved 2 feet after the shot: from his stomach, to his back, with his feet in the air.

In fact, the hunt was so successful, I was able to fill my ground squirrel tag, too! This guy was no match for the mighty 7x57.



[img]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd77/jkubesch/P8270093.jpg[/img]



In all seriousness, I'd like to pay homage to all the sheep hunters here. There are no words or pictures that can capture the majesty of the country, the beauty of the animals in it, or the difficulty of this pursuit.

I called my Dad using the satellite phone to share the news of my trophy, and to tell him that in the course of the hunt, I had discovered that he is the toughest man I've ever met. His three trips for sheep netted a Stone and a Bighorn, while the Dall eluded him. Anyone who has gone to sheep country & expended their all in the chase, is a remarkable man, regardless of whether they harvest an animal. And any sheep you bring down from the mountain, is truly a trophy.

FC

The Talkeetnas are pretty nice at that, miss that part of the world,, congrats on a good hunt for sure

Congrats on a great hunt! Thanks for sharing.

Congratulations on the hunt of a lifetime and sharing it with us.

Nice work, and thanks for the pics. Congrats to both of you.

Excellent hunt, and excellent account...thanks for going to the trouble of posting it all.


Still don't know how you did it with a 7x57 and 4x scope though.....

Shhhhhh! We don't want that ram coming back to life, dammit!

FC

yep great hunt pix and report


congrats on a great ram!

Congratulations on a grat hunt, and thanks for sharing!
BBerg

Great write up and congrats

Thanks for the write up, really enjoyed it!
Don

I would also like to thank you for sharing such an incredible hunt!

A hearty congrats for getting it done with "primitive equipment".
You can kill anything in the lower 48 but you will never forget your first Alaskan sheep hunt. Thanks again for the fine writeup.

FC - very nice!

You did a very good job of memorializing the hunt. I had the chance to hunt Dalls 25 years ago - for free - and passed because I didn't have the money for the airfare. Really, really wish I'd done it now.

I'm hoping to be in good enough shape to do a sheep hunt before I'm too old and decrepit.

Thanks for sharing.

It's hard to explain a sheep hunt to people who haven't done it. Your story and pics reminded me of mine, 2 years ago. Thanks, and my sincere congratulations to you!

Great story, congrats..

I have to say the above quote made me laugh.

Awesome!


Travis

Very nice, congrats!

Me too! Too funny and a classy way of describing the pejorative.

Congratulations on a great hunt! Enjoyed your story and all of the pictures. Well done!